San Jose dance fans are in for a treat. The Limón Dance Company is scheduled to perform three classic works by José Limón this weekend in San Jose. The works include "The Moor's Pavane," "There Is a Time" and "An Anatomy of Intent."

The performances will be held at the Mexican Heritage Plaza, Alum Rock Avenue at South King Road, San Jose, (408) 928-5564.

Moor's Pavanne is truly one of the masterpieces of modern dance. A re-telling of Shakespearse's Othello story. The economy, clarity, simplicity, the inevitability and sense of doom are haunting, all told within the framework of a traditional court (pavanne-doesn't pavanne mean 'peacock" in some language?)dance.<BR>"There is a Time" is also a classic.I don't think I've ever seen the whole thing..just excerpts. Apparently, it's l-o-o-ong. But another masterpiece, using the Ecclesiastes verses from the Bible--"to everything there is a time, a time to mourn";.....etc,etc<BR>The last piece you mentioned I'm not familiar with..do you know the choreographer?<BR>I think you will enjoy the show, Azlan. Limon repertory is considered "classical" modern dance. I know this sounds rather contradictory. What this means is, NOT postmodern. Limon was a protege of early pioneer Doris Humphrey. His (and her)choreography tends to be concerned with humanistic and historical values/themes, larger than life and tragic figures (The MOor's Pavanne)and tends to use classical music.

<P><BR>First impressions.<P><BR>Loved it, especially "The Moor's Pavane," which was wrought with passion, and the angst and anguish of it gone awry.<P>However, the Limon Company, like the Graham Company, is a heritage company, performing works of historical importance and, by doing so, educating whole audiences who would otherwise not been able to experience them. Therefore, to some these works may look somewhat dated.<P>Interestingly, even Mark Haim's "An Anatomy of Intent" that premiered in June of this year looked a little dated, with references to movement and "street" gestures that reminded me of the 70s.<P>However, as I started out by saying, I did enjoy watching these works. Limon's choreography is always compelling, evidenced by both "The Moor's Pavane" as well as "There is a Time," a touching work that speaks to us of relationships and the resulting emotions.

Well,<P>The Limon Company is one of my favorite modern dance companies ever, and I'm quite jealous that I won't be seeing them in a full concert anytime soon.....<P>But.....<P>They are coming back to Houston again this summer to do another residency spread around at several schools and I REALLY hope to be lucky enough to attend it again!!<P>Is there anybody else out there who went to the one in Houston two years ago or is planning/hoping to get to this year's one??<P>-Marc

Azlan...I was so depressed by that review...only 50 people..how sad. It is IMPERATIVE that we support live performance, especially those with historical roots. <BR>Also,...a work by Mark Haim...oh my gosh, he is an old friend from Juilliard...an accomplished musician, then a dancer. He danced with Eliot Feld, and than directed a company in Portugal, before coming back to US to be a feelance choreographer.

Yes, an audience of 50 is depressing but I think they had a bigger crowd at the show I went to. Well at least, AD Carla Maxwell (still beautiful and gracious) seemed ebullient and satisfied.<P>However, marketing is a problem. For some reason, the Limon company has not been advertising their San Jose performances to the extent that other companies do. I only realized it was on because I happened to check the San Jose paper a couple days before.<P>There is however an aspect of the company that has been successful. The 2000 annual report from the Jose Limon Dance Foundation talks about their LINKs program (Limon Initiative Nurturing Kids). A quote by 8th grader Yoli Rivera from the report:<P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>I went to see the dancers of Jose Limon on Sunday and I went wild trying to tell all my friends and family what I had seen. I never knew that people could move on a stage better than they move in a movie. There was nothing like this before. I thought that I was hypnotized and I didn't want to leave the theatre when it was over. I wanted to hide under the seats and wait to see it again.<P>Thanks to your generosity and to our teacher and counselor, I saw something that I will remember for the rest of my life. Perhaps I could learn to dance like them. This was one of the best Sundays that I ever had. Thank you.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P><BR>Thank you indeed.

<P>The Limon Dance Company is back in the SF Bay Area, the weekend of April 28, 2001, at the Mexican Heritage Plaza (408-928-5564). They will be performing "If Winter," a swing jazz piece, choreographed by Billy Siegenfeld.<p>[This message has been edited by Azlan (edited April 28, 2001).]

Wow, they're doing a jazz piece!! Cool!! Definelty expanding their repertory. I also think it's a GREAT idea of them to emaphasize the Mexican heritage of Limon. I'm not sure if Jose was born in Mexico or here in US, but many of his works have themes from Mexican history and folklore: "La Malinche", "Carlota", "Mexican Suite".

Trina, it is quite interesting actually that this modern dance festival is held in that part of San Jose. The area around the intersection of Alum Rock and King, where Spanglish is the predominant tongue, is more famous for its authentic taquerias than for Euro-centric modern culture. This, combined with the lack of heavy radio and newspaper advertising, may have contributed to the lacklustre attendance.<P>As if to underline the City's multi-cultural heritage, the festival, directed by former Limon protege Gary Masters, included four companies performing five world premieres inspired by various cultural backgrounds, including Mexican, Chinese, Korean and Creole (I think).<P>The Creole work, "The Glass Bottle," choreographed by former Limon star Emilie Plauche Flink and danced by San Jose State's University Dance Theater, was probably the most evocative of the program.<P>The Limon Dance Company performed just one work, the swing jazz number titled "If Winter," choreographed by Billy Siegenfeld, artistic director of the Jump Rhythm Jazz Project. Personally, I wished they had performed more works, or if they had to perform just one, that it'd be something else. Seeing the Limon-trained dancers strutting on stage trying to emulate Broadway jazz dancers was a somewhat uncomfortable experience for me; I felt embarrassed for the dancers.<P>Still, it is heartwarming to see a company of such stature sharing the stage with local companies and interacting with the community.<p>[This message has been edited by Azlan (edited May 01, 2001).]

That is some odd programing choices, Azlan. I agree. I didnt' realize that the jazz piece was the "only" piece Limon was doing. I could just see a student dancer writing a paper/critique on the performance (I've read quite a few of these in my time, believe me!!)" and then this jazz company named Limon Co. did this bouncy jazz piece"....hah!! Hopefully not, but these misimpressions can happen!!!

A benefit performance for Alan Danielson, Limón teacher and choreographer:<P><A HREF="http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0130/footnotes.shtml" TARGET=_blank><B>"A Benefit for Alan Danielson"</B></A><BR>Andrea Menotti, The Village Voice<p>[This message has been edited by Azlan (edited July 24, 2001).]

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